Final Call
by KaitieD
Summary: When a mission doesn't go as planned, there's only time for one last goodbye.


The first thing he felt was a sharp rock digging into his shoulder. Funny, how that was what he noticed. Not the blinding headache that came on as soon as he managed to open his eyes. Or his left arm that hung uselessly at his side, most likely broken. Clint dropped his head back, the dirt crunching beneath him as he tried to get his bearings.

The team must not have been as careful as they thought they'd been. Or else the other side was more prepared than they'd expected. There had been trip wires planted all the way up the mountain face where Clint was to position himself. He hadn't even seen where the bomb had been before he was flying through the air, coming down hard.

Groaning, he tried to sit up, but with one unusable arm and everything else throbbing, it was no easy task. He managed to scoot himself up just enough to lean against a large rock, affording him a view of the valley down below. When the ringing in his ears started to subside, he could just make out the sound of gunfire.

Reaching down for his earpiece that had fallen out in the blast, Clint tried to remember where Natasha had said she'd be. He knew he must have banged his head pretty good, because he couldn't remember where anyone was supposed to be. Only bits and pieces of his directive floated through his mind. It was just as he put the earpiece in that he noticed the puddle of blood spreading beneath his right leg.

"Shit. Doesn't look good, does it?" he mumbled to himself, mouth dry and coated with the dust that was still settling around him. Probing his thigh, he found a deep gash, likely left behind by some shrapnel in the device that had detonated.

He thought about contacting Nat, or one of their handlers, but saw how quickly he was losing blood. With each beat of his heart, he could see more blood pulse out of the wound and knew that he might not have much time. Closing his eyes for a moment, he tried to calm himself and slow his heartbeat. He considered trying to use his belt as a tourniquet, but by the time he managed to get it off and wrapped around with his one useable arm, it would probably be too late.

Fumbling with his good arm, Clint managed to pull his satellite phone from his pocket and tapped in Phil's number. As it rang, he swallowed thickly, coughing to try and clear his throat. Propping the phone between his cheek and shoulder, he clamped his hand over the wound, trying to slow the blood loss.

"Hello?"

A small smile crossed Clint's face at the sound of Phil's voice, clear as day even across the thousands of miles between them.

"Hey."

"Are you ok?" Phil asked worriedly. It was unusual to hear from Clint when he was away on a mission. He wasn't due back for another few days.

"Yeah, I'm alright" Clint answered, teeth gritted tightly as some of the adrenaline began to wear off and the pain in his leg increased. "Just trying to kill some downtime, thought I'd give you a call, see what's up."

"You sure? You sound a little off…" Phil said. He waved off the SHIELD trainees that peeked in his door, needing a moment of his time. Getting up to close the door behind them, he paced as he listened to Clint's breathing on the other end of the line.

"Yeah." Clint forced a chuckle, "like I said, just bored. How's your day going?"

"Living the dream" Phil laughed, "You know how it is with these new recruits. They need a lot of work."

"Yeah, you can say that again." Clint coughed wetly, seeing blood on his hand as he wiped at his mouth.

"That doesn't sound good. You're not coming down with something are you?"

"Already have it, I'd say. Always picking something up…"

"Yeah, I hear you. How's Nat? You two staying out of trouble?"

"Us, trouble? C'mon babe." Clint blinked as dark spots began to dance in front of his eyes. Closing them, he leaned his head back against the rock. He knew his time was growing shorter.

"Well, I guess I should go. I just missed you" he said, the words catching in his throat. "I just wanted to hear your voice."

"I miss you too Clint. I'll see you soon?" Phil asked.

"Sure. Ok, I gotta go. I love you." Clint said, voice steady as a tear fell from his eye. He was so cold. Imagining Phil's arms around him, holding him tightly brought him some comfort.

"I love you too. Stay safe."

"Always" Clint whispered, before letting the phone drop as the call disconnected.


End file.
